Caddy for holding pipe cleaners

ABSTRACT

Two tubular members are separably joined together to serve respectively as the bottom and top sections of a caddy for holding several pipe cleaners. The top section is provided with a flat head for use in tamping tobacco into the bowl of a pipe, and with a resilient sheet metal appendage for use in scraping the bowl of, and for use in clipping the caddy to, a shirt or coat pocket.

United States Patent Mancuso [54] CADDY FOR HOLDING PIPE CLEANERS [72] Inventor: Henry Mancuso, 430 Barclay Road,

' Rosemont, Pa. 19010 [22] Filed: June 24, I970 211 App]. No.: 49,278

[ 1 June 27, 1972 1,762,793 6/1930 Oxx ..24/1 1 F 1,594,410 8/1926 Fischer et al. ..24/1 1 F 2,265,811 12/1941 Mayer et al ..l3 l/243 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 445,926 3/1968 Switzerland ..l31/243 64,883 10/ 1946 Denmark ..131/245 Primary Examiner-Joseph S. Reich Attorney-Louis V. Schiavo [S 7] ABSTRACT Two tubular members are separably joined together to serve respectively as the bottom and top sections of a caddy for holding several pipe cleaners. The top section is provided with a flat head for use in tamping tobacco into the bowl of a pipe, and with a resilient sheet metal appendage for use in scraping the bowl of, and for use in clipping the caddy to, a shirt or coat pocket.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures Pmmmmm m2 INVENTOR, HENRY MANCUSO J I BYMZHJ %%4/aw ATTORNEY.

CADDY FOR HOLDING PIPE CLEANERS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to devices for storing pipe cleaners.

2. Description of the Prior Art Periodically a pipe smoker .must clean out the stern of his pipe, clean out the bowl of the pipe and reload the same with fresh tobacco. So far as I am aware, no known single instrument combines means for effecting all three of the aforesaid functions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a unitary device which maybe clipped to an article of clothing in the manner of a pencil or pen, and which is for use in storing pipe cleaners and scraping, and tamping fresh tobacco into, the bowl of a pipe.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a device constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view illustrating the device as used to clean out the bowl of a pipe;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 illustrating the device as used to tamp tobacco into the bowl of a pipe; and

FIGS. 4 and 5 respectively are enlarged sections on lines lV-lV and V--V in FIG. I.

The following description is directed to the specific embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings and is not intended to be addressed to the scope of the invention which may be practiced in various other forms.

Referring to the drawing, the device constructed in accordance with the invention comprises a bottom section 10, a top section 12 and a spring metal clip 14. The bottom section is a tubular member circular in transverse section. The lower extremity is closed, as at 16, and the upper extremity is reduced in diameter, as at 18.

The top section 12 is a tubular member circular in transverse section. The upper extremity is closed by a flat cross-axially extending wall 20, and the lower extremity is open and is detachably secured to the upper extremity 18 of bottom section 10 by a sliding fit thereover. The inside length of the device is sufficient to accommodate pipe cleaners, designated 22, and the inside diameter of the sections 10 and 12 is sufficient to accommodate several of the pipe cleaners 22.

The clip 14 has a head 24 and an appendage 26. The head 24 has a main body wall 28, opposite side walls 30 and an end wall 32. Extending from the side walls 30 are tabs 34 which project respectively through slits 36 in the top section 12 and then turn away from each other. The edges of the side walls 30 on each side of the tabs 34 and the edge of the end wall 32 are seated firmly against the outer surface of the top section 12 while the tabs 34 are seated firmly against the inner surface of the top section 12. Thus the head 24 of the clip 14 is firmly secured to the top section 12.

The appendage 26 extends from the main body wall 28 a substantial distance beyond the open, lower extremity of the top section 12, being turned outwardly from the sections 10 and 12, as at 37, and then inwardly, again as at 38. The extremity of the appendage 26 is curved outwardly from the sections 10 and 12, as at 40. In transverse section the appendage 26 is concave outwardly, as shown at 41.

In use, the sections 10 and 12 are separated by pulling them apart, whereupon the smoker places a few pipe cleaners in the bottom section 12 and reassembles the device by slipping the top section 12 back onto the bottom section 10. The device may then be clipped to a pocket of the smokers shirt or coat in the manner ofa pencil or pen.

When the smoker is ready to use his pipe, designated 42, he

the flat end 2Q of the section 12 is used.

When the pipe has been smoked and the smoker is ready the clean out the bowl, the sections 10 and 12 of the device are separated and a pipe cleaner is removed and used to clean out the stem of the pipe. Then the top section 12 is used to clean out the bowl. It is grasped between the thumb and two fingers of the smokers hand, the thumb being placed over the head 24 of the clip, as shown in FIG. 2. The appendage 26 is of a length and of such a shape both lengthwise and transversely that when it is inserted into the bowl, it conforms generally to the shape of the inner wall. The extremity 40 of the appendage 26 extends down into the bowl and into the doddle accumulated at the base of the bowl. As the appendage is moved around the bowl, the edges thereof scrape the inner surface of the bowl clean, and the extremity 40 loosens the doddle adhering to the bottom of the bowl.

The pipe having been cleaned, the appendage 26 is wiped clean, the sections 10 and 12 reassembled and the device replaced in the smokers pocket, ready to be used once again.

Although this invention has been described with respect to a specific embodiment thereof, it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the invention is broad enough to encompass all equivalent embodiments thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the foregoing specification and the appended claims. For example, providing the bottom section 10 with an upper extremity" l8 reduced in diameter is not essential. Instead, the bottom section 10 may be made uniform in diameter and its upper extremity telescoped into the top section 12 to be detachably secured in position by friction. In this event, the tabs 34 may act as stops.

What is claimed is:

1. In a caddy for holding pipe cleaners, the combination consisting of A. a tubular section closed at one end and open at the opposite end,

B. a tubular section closed at one end by a flat cross-axially extending wall and open at the opposite end, the open ends respectively of said tubular sections being detachably telescoped one into the other whereby to form a hollow cylindrical receptacle for pipe cleaners, and

C. a resilient sheet metal clip including 1. one end portion providing a head affixed to one of said tubular sections, and

2. an appendage extending freely from said head lengthwise along the outside of said tubular sections a substantial distance beyond the open end of the tubular section to which it is affixed, said appendage being of such length and of such shape both lengthwise and in transverse section that when said tubular sections are separated and the tubular section to which the clip is afi'lxed is disposed with said appendage extending with its free end first into the bowl of a smokers pipe, it conforms generally to the shape of the inner wall thereof.

2. The combination according to claim I wherein the appendage is concave outwardly in transverse section.

3. The combination according to claim I wherein from the head of the clip the appendage turns outwardly from the tubular section to which said head is attached, then inwardly for engagement with the other tubular section, and lastly outwardly from saidtubular sections.

4. The combination according to claim 3 wherein the portion of the appendage turned inwardly for engagement with the other tubular section is substantially straight lengthwise, concave outwardly in transverse section, and of a length to extend beyond the open end of the tubular section to which the clip is attached a distance corresponding generally to the depth of the bowl of a smokers pipe. 

1. In a caddy for holding pipe cleaners, the combination consisting of A. a tubular section closed at one end and open at the opposite end, B. a tubular section closed at one end by a flat cross-axially extending wall and open at the opposite end, the open ends respectively of said tubular sections being detachably telescoped one into the other whereby to form a hollow cylindrical receptacle for pipe cleaners, and C. a resilient sheet metal clip including
 1. one end portion providing a head affixed to one of said tubular sections, and
 2. an appendage extending freely from said head lengthwise along the outside of said tubular sections a substantial distance beyond the open end of the tubular section to which it is affixed, said appendage being of such length and of such shape both lengthwise and in transverse section that when said tubular sections are separated and the tubular section to which the clip is affixed is disposed with said appendage extending with its free end first into the bowl of a smoker''s pipe, it conforms generally to the shape of the inner wall thereof.
 2. an appendage extending freely from said head lengthwise along the outside of said tubular sections a substantial distance beyond the open end of the tubular section to which it is affixed, said appendage being of such length and of such shape both lengthwise and in transverse section that when said tubular sections are separated and the tubular section to which the clip is affixed is disposed with said appendage extending with its free end first into the bowl of a smoker''s pipe, it conforms generally to the shape of the inner wall thereof.
 2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the appendage is concave outwardly in transverse section.
 3. The combination according to claim 1 wherein from the head of the clip the appendage turns outwardly from the tubular section to whiCh said head is attached, then inwardly for engagement with the other tubular section, and lastly outwardly from said tubular sections.
 4. The combination according to claim 3 wherein the portion of the appendage turned inwardly for engagement with the other tubular section is substantially straight lengthwise, concave outwardly in transverse section, and of a length to extend beyond the open end of the tubular section to which the clip is attached a distance corresponding generally to the depth of the bowl of a smoker''s pipe. 